Fertility testing bulls: A sound insurance policy

FFAGENTS

June 01, 2012|By Russ Daly, Special to the Farm Forum

Within any production animal system, cost control always becomes part of the conversation. Profitability is affected by both income and expenses, but in cattle production there seem to be many more options to make positive effects on the expense side of the ledger compared to the income side.

Since it usually comes to cattle producers in the form of a bill from the vet clinic, an easy expense to calculate is that of veterinary expenses. Should these expenses be looked at as an investments, in which a dollar spent gives you back more than a dollar in gain? Or are they insurance policies, in which a dollar spent protects you against loss that might occur if you didn't spend that money?

Some animal health expenditures are investments. One example is that of a deworming program. Spending money deworming cows and calves going out to summer pasture will result in more money (in the form of heavier calves) when the calves come off of pasture.

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But many of the veterinary expenses qualify as insurance. Possibly the best example of that is a vaccination program. Why do we vaccinate calves for, say, blackleg going out to pasture? Well, it's to insure ourselves that we don't incur a loss due to that disease, right? (Sometimes we forget about the fact we're also providing for that calf's welfare-so he doesn't have to endure a painful death due to blackleg!).

Over my years in practice, I've observed one insurance policy that many producers have cashed in on-- that of fertility testing bulls before going out to the breeding pasture. A couple of recent surveys indicate that 10-25% of bulls in any given breeding season are unsatisfactory breeders. They can't be picked out visually. They are the bulls that a proper fertility test will identify as individuals that won't perform adequately on pasture.

A breeding soundness examination consists of three parts: scrotal circumference, motility of the semen sample (how well the cells are moving), and morphology (how the individual sperm cells look under the microscope). A bull needs to pass all three of these parts before being deemed a satisfactory breeder, and all three are important. For example, if morphology is not assessed properly, many unsatisfactory bulls will be missed. Up to 50% of the bulls that don't pass breeding soundness exams are due to poor morphology. Make sure all three portions are part of your bulls' exam.

Yearling bulls sometimes present some problems when considering breeding soundness exams, because only about 35% of 12-month-old bulls have reached reproductive maturity. We are getting to the point in the summer when more of these bulls have matured, but they may need to be tested later on, after they have a bit more age on them. It is common to defer judgment on these younger bulls if they don't pass the exam at the first go-round. Many of them will eventually pass as they get a bit older.

A complete exam also consists of an assessment of the bull's physical soundness. Are the legs, feet, eyes, and other parts all in working order? Of course, a breeding soundness exam can't cover everything-the bull's willingness to mate is a key component that can't be readily measured.

One pitfall of this fertility testing insurance policy is that it's a measure of the bull on the day he's tested. A bull with a passing grade can still succumb to problems that happen after he's put out on pasture --lameness, injuries, and pinkeye, to name a few. Any of these can severely hurt the bull's ability to breed. These occurrences remind us that we can't just dump these guys out there and assume they'll get the job done. Spending extra time observing bulls out on pasture and swiftly responding to these issues could be the difference that results in more cows bred next spring.

As you consider your insurance or investments, please realize that one of the best investments you can make is that of a solid relationship with your local veterinarian. They are your best guide to wisely using your resources for the benefit of your animals.